Wednesday 18 September 2013

Saint Gregory Palamas




24th Week
Monastic Lectionary Vigils  
Gregory’s work must be seen as the
culmination of Eastern mystical theology
 
WEDNESDAY 18/09/2013
First Reading
Hosea 11:1-11
Responsory          fer 31:20; is 54:8
Is Ephraim a son so dear to me, a child in whom I so delight, that
as often as I rebuke him I must remember him still? + My heart yearns for him, I am filled with tenderness toward him, says the Lord.
V. In excess of anger, for a moment, I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will take pity on you.+ My heart ...

Second Reading From a homily by Saint Gregory Palamas
                                 Hom. 3:PG 151, 36

Before creating us our Maker brought this whole universe into being from nothing, for the sustenance of our bodily exist­ence. But as for improving our conduct and guiding us toward virtue, what has the Lord in his love of goodness not done for us? He has made the whole of this perceptible universe a kind of mirror of heaven, so that by spiritual contemplation of the world around us we may reach up to heavenly things as if by some wonderful ladder. He has implanted in us the natural law, as an inflexible rule, an infallible judge and an unerring teacher: this is our conscience. If we look deep within ourselves, then, we shall need no other teacher to show us what is good, and if we look outside ourselves we shall find the invisible God visible in the things he has made, as the Apostle says.

After providing a school of virtue in our own nature and in the created world, God gave us the angels to protect us, he raised up the patriarchs and prophets to guide us, he showed us signs and wonders to lead us to faith, and gave us the written law as a supplement to the law of our rational soul and the teaching of the world around us. Then at last, when we had scorned all this in our indolence - how different from his own continuing love and care for us! - he gave himself to us for our salvation. He poured out the wealth of his divinity into our lowly condition; he took our nature and became a human being like us, and was with us as our teacher. He teaches us the greatness of his love and proves it by word and deed, at the same time persuading those who obey him not to be hard-hearted, but to imitate his compassion.

Those who manage worldly affairs have a certain love for
them, as do shepherds for their flocks and owners for their personal possessions, but this cannot be compared with the love of those who share the same flesh and blood, and especially the love of parents for their children. Therefore, to make us realize how much he loves us, God called himself our Father; for our sake he became man, and then, through the grace of the Holy Spirit conferred in baptism, he caused us to be born anew.

            Responsory          1 fn 4:9.16b; fn 3:16
God's love for us was revealed when he sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. + God is love, and whoever lives in love lives in God and God lives in him.
V. God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. + God is love ...


http://vox-nova.com/2009/03/07/sunday-of-st-gregory-palamas/

   
Romanian Orthodox Church celebrates St. Gregory Palamas (Grigore Palama), Archbishop of Thessalonica. On this occasion, the parish church St. Gregory Palamas - University chapel will celebrate its patron.
Romanian Orthodox Church celebrates on November 14 St. Gregory Palamas (Grigore Palama), Archbishop of Thessalonica. On this occasion, the parish church St. Gregory Palamas - University chapel will celebrate its patron.
Archbishop Gregory (Grigore) of Thessaloniki, called Palama was born in Constantinople.
For his struggles with heretics was honored with the great gift of the bishop, holding the chair of Thessaloniki and pastoral significance it with great dignity.
Church "St. Gregory Palamas' (Grigore Palama) was consecrated on 26 November 1998. Interior painting was executed in 2004 by Mihai Coman and students of the Theological Institute of Bucharest Heritage Department at the expense of Polytechnic University.
More informations at http://www.basilica.ro/stiri/hram-la-biserica-isfantul-grigorie-palamai-paraclis-universitar_878.html

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